Tirupati: The heavy rains in Tirupati and Tirumala and the bad weather conditions in the coming days did not deter ardent devotees from booking 3.1 lakh slotted Sarva darshan tickets in just 16 minutes.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) released slotted Sarva darshan tickets online for December at around 9 a.m on Saturday. By 9.16 a.m, the entire month's quota of 3.1 lakh tickets had been completely booked.
Following the frequent glitches reported during the online booking that used to inconvenience the devotees, TTD had inked a pact with Jio. Booking tickets online has now become quite a hassle-free affair for devotees in the last three months.
TTD chairman Y.V Subba Reddy and EO Dr. K.S Jawahar Reddy appreciated the Jio team and the technical affairs advisor, Amar Nagaram, for facilitating a smooth booking experience for the devotees.
Meanwhile, 21,515 devotees offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara at the hill temple in the last 24 hours. TTD received a hundi income of Rs. 2.75 crore.
The TTD will release the slots for accommodation in its guest houses for the month of December on Sunday. The devotees can book accommodation facilities online.